by Troy Strand
I stood facing 47 middle school students. Their eyes were all on me and a hush fell over the gathered audience of families, teachers and community members. For the next eight seconds, they all had one job: wait for my hands to raise. After that, their tasks were vastly different.
…by Karen Kubin
It has happened already twice this week.
The first time was with my almost-thirteen-year-old daughter, who was working on her new piece and balking at the thought of working out a new passage. “It’s too hard!” she complained. Somehow I managed to get her to play through it slowl…
by Cathy Smetana
Smetana.Cathy@MacPhail.org
I am, first and foremost, a teacher. I do not have a church job, or play for weddings, or do a lot of accompanying. I do not currently have a significant other with whom to share expenses and chores; in spite of my best efforts, my cat Pablo simply bli…
by Hanno Strydom
Strydom.Hanno@MacPhail.org
I delivered this presentation, Developing Your Online Presence, at a MacPhail Music Learning Lab Idea Exchange on October 18, 2016.
This session is loaded with ideas about why and how to develop an online presence for yourself or your studio. Wi…
by Candis Parrish
In my last post, I emphasized the importance of non-verbal communication and outlined some of the factors the go into the way teachers present themselves in the classroom. This post will cover some practical things you can do in the classroom to improve your non-verbal communica…
By Candis Parrish
Do you ever feel like you’ve planned a standards driven lesson that’s both engaging and fun, only to have it fall flat because you spend more time dealing with behaviors than teaching your class? Have you tried management systems like breaks and timeouts with limited success? …
Jeremy Hanson recently shared some apps that he uses while teaching piano. Click on the image below to view the pdf where you can click on each of the links to learn more. 
By Cathy Smetana
In July, I was one of several hundred piano teachers to descend upon Lombard, Illinois for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. I’ve attended this conference (or one of its predecessors) many times, and 2015 was one of the best years ever.
The conference is offere…
By Beth Turco
During your lessons with students, do you feel the pressure to pack in all the information they need to know about technique, music theory and fundamental skills at the instrument? Isn't is difficult to remember to nurture the student's love of music? And how exactly can we …
By Tamra Brunn
Brunn.Tamra@MacPhail.org
The MacPhail Music for Life™ program is expanding at MacPhail Center for Music and we currently serve over 1,000 adults age 55+ in our student body! Earlier this month we gathered together a panel of experienced Music for Life teaching artists—Jeanie Bri…
by Jeremy Swider, Chamber Music Coordinator, MacPhail Center for Music
Swider.Jeremy@MacPhail.org
Do you coach chamber music ensembles? Are you in a student chamber ensemble? Do you have trouble finding music of an appropriate level of difficulty for your group or the groups you coach?
by Jennifer Geise
Geise.Jennifer@MacPhail.org
On June 5th I had the opportunity to share about my online piano teaching experience and specifically to talk on the importance of flexibility as a music teacher. Our audience was a great mix of experienced and new-to-online teachers from many instru…
by David Birrow Birrow.David@Macphail.org
When I started teaching online, I expected that Skype lessons would feel pretty much the same as my in-personlessons. But now that I teach four or five Skype lessons a week, I know that my initial expectations were inaccurate. For instance, there are …
On March 6, 2015, Jennifer Niedzielski presented a workshop at MacPhail Center for Music entitled Mindfulness: A Path Toward Teacher Wellbeing. (See video at the bottom of this post.)
Click here to vie…
By Guest Author: Dr. Joel Salvo, Prof. of Cello - St. Cloud State University
During my days as a student, settling into a practice room was akin to setting up camp. After unpacking my cello, I would empty a tote bag with my tuner, an oversized metronome, some recording gear, and a handful o…
by Tiana Malone
Malone.Tiana@MacPhail.org
Communication
In music therapy, communication with families, clients, other therapies and team members, and caregivers is very important. My iPad is an important tool for facilitating that communication.
Evernote is a cloud-based note taking program …
By Dr. Carlynn Savot
Savot.Carlynn@MacPhail.org
The working relationship between a music teacher and students and their parents is a unique one, and its scope can be difficult to define. To provide students with an inspiring and challenging learning environment—and at the same time keep our sani…